..续本文上一页 Master noticed one evening that they were all experiencing hunger pangs. Because they hadn”t eaten, they didn”t have enough energy to sit. Some were dozing off while others were restless. If they weren”t sleeping, then they were "sitting short." When a person sits to meditate, he”s about three feet tall, yet now they were only one and a half feet tall. Why is that

　　 Because their bellies were hungry and they lacked the strength to sit up straight. This is called "sitting short." Once this phenomenon began, there was no way to continue their meditation. The Ceremony Master saw this taking place and sympathized with them. He wanted to nurture the health of the assembly. So within samadhi, he used his psychic powers to steal some rice crust from the kitchen and give a little bit to each person. As soon as the meditation period was over, everyone opened their eyes and saw a chunk of rice crust on their knee. Stealthily they gobbled it down. There is a phrase that goes, "People are iron, and food is steel." Immediately the group felt their energy returning and they were able to run and meditate without feeling tired. Before, when they were hungry, they had been unable to run a single step, and they were always trying to catch a rest on the side.

　　这位慈悲维那，偷了两天锅粑，给大众当点心，不料在第三天，被方丈和尚发现他偷锅粑，于是被迁单了。

　　The compassionate Ceremony Master stole rice crust for two days in a row, and he distributed it among the participants as a snack. Unexpectedly, on the third day, the Abbot of the temple discovered that he”d been stealing rice crust and threw him out of the temple.

　　事情是这样发生的：在第三天早晨，管理厨房的和尚，发现锅粑不见了，以为被老鼠偷去了，因为职责的关系，乃向方丈和尚报告这情形，请示方丈和尚。老和尚说：「那么，就捉老鼠吧！」到晚上，方丈和尚在定中观察，发现维那在定中又去厨房偷锅粑，于是把维那的身体放在禅凳底下。等维那回来一看，自己的房子不见了，仔细寻找，才在禅凳下找到，于是就把身体拖出来。这时，方丈和尚说：「你在做什么？你这个大老鼠，敢到厨房偷锅粑，现在你犯戒，你知道吗？犯戒是要被迁单的，明天你走吧！我们这里不留你了。」

　　Here”s how it happened. On the morning of the third day, the monk in charge of the kitchen noticed that the rice crust from the day before was gone. He thought that perhaps a rat had stolen it. To carry out his duty, he went to report to the Abbot of the temple and ask his advice. The Abbot said, "Okay, catch the rat!" When evening came, the Abbot contemplated in samadhi and saw how the Ceremony Master was going to the kitchen in his samadhi to steal the rice crust. He grabbed the Master”s body as it sat there meditating, and stuffed it underneath the bench. When the Ceremony Master came back from roaming in samadhi, he could not find his "house." He carefully looked around for his body and finally found it underneath the bench, and he pulled it back out. Just then the Abbot said, "What do you think you”re doing

　　 You”re a big rat! You had the gall to go into the kitchen to steal rice crust

　　 You”ve broken the precepts, did you know that

　　 Anybody who breaks a precept must be thrown out! You must leave tomorrow. You can”t stay here any longer!"

　　这位被迁单的维那说：「您迁我的单，是可以的。可是我有一个要求，请您答应我。」方丈和尚说：「你要走了，还要求什么？」

　　The Ceremony Master had now been kicked out, and he said: "If you want to throw me out, that”s okay. But I have one request that I hope you”ll grant." The Abbot said, "Now that you”re leaving, what do you still want to request

　　"

　　维那说：「参禅的人，一定要吃饱饭，才能用功修行；如果吃不饱，的确不能修行。所以我到厨房偷锅粑，是为大众，不是为我自己。希望方丈和尚发点慈悲，每天晚上，每人分两个大包子，若能这样做，我就向和尚叩头顶礼。我走之后，也不会打妄想。」

　　The Ceremony Master said, "The people who are meditating here really should get a chance to eat their fill. Only then can they work hard at their meditation. If they don”t eat their fill, they won”t be able to cultivate. That”s why I went to the kitchen to steal the rice crust. It was for the sake of the Assembly, not for myself. I hope that you, the Abbot, will be compassionate, and give two big steamed dumplings to each participant every evening. If you do that, then I”ll bow in respect to you as Abbot; and after I…

《魔是来帮助你修道 Demons Help You Cultivate》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…